Turkish soldiers fight with Kurdish militia in Syria
Turkish troops and Kurdish forces exchange artillery fire in the northern Syrian border city of Kobane, as tensions between the two sides rise.
According to kobane authorities, shelling in and around the city began at midnight last night and lasted throughout the day on August 16. Local officials said at least one child died and several were injured by shelling.
Turkey’s Defense Ministry said one Turkish soldier was killed and 4 wounded after mortar shell attacks on a border post in Sanliurfa province, about 25 kilometers west of Kobane.
Turkish artillery returned fire on targets in the area.
“According to initial information, 13 terrorists have been neutralized. Combat operations in the region are continuing,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said.
A Turkish official said that the Kurdish Militia (YPG), the core group in the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), carried out the mortar attack on the border post in Sanliurfa. Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist group.
Ankara sees the Kurdish-led autonomous government in northern and eastern Syria as a threat to Turkey’s border security.
